Statement re: Washington
Post article
Christine Karbowiak,
Vice President for Public Affairs, August 13, 2000
We are confident in the quality of our
tires and in the effectiveness of our inspection processes at
the Decatur, Ill., plant and at all of our plants.
An article in Sunday's Washington
Post raised issues about production and inspection practices
at the company's Decatur, Illinois plant, based on the testimony
of disgruntled former Bridgestone/Firestone employees. Like
all Bridgestone/Firestone production facilities, the Decatur
plant adheres to stringent standards of quality control where
every tire is subject to strict inspection by both people and
machines at every step of the manufacturing process, from raw
material through finished tire. And, every production employee,
at each of our plants, receives substantial training before
they work on the line.
We work extremely hard, day in and day
out, to ensure that only tires that meet our standards get to
the customer. As proof of the effectiveness of this process,
the Decatur plant has received the QS 9000 certification in
a process audited by external experts. The plant also has received
quality awards from our customers, including Ford Motor Company.
It is unfortunate that the comments
of two very disgruntled employees are being taken out of context.
These comments fly in the face of recent published comments
by Decatur employees that testify to the high quality of tires
made there.
